A silver halide photographic light-sensitive material is commonly processed by making use of a black-and-white developer, a fixer, a color developer, a bleacher, a bleach-fixer and a stabilizer, so that an image can be obtained. Each of the processing solutions is concentrated into a single or plural parts and is then put into a plastic-made bottle, for the purpose of simplifying the handling the solutions, so that the solutions are supplied as a kit of the processing chemicals to the users. A user dissolves the above-mentioned processing chemical kit in water to prepare a working solution, a starter solution or a replenishing solution, and then he uses the working solution.
In the field of photographic industry in recent years, a small-scaled photofinishing laboratories at which a small-sized automatic processor is used, that is so-called a Mini-Lab., have been rapidly increased. With the increase in such a mini-labs., the quantities of plastic-made bottles for processing chemical use has also rapidly increased year by year.
The plastics mentioned above have also been used, besides the bottles for photographic processing chemicals, because of its light and strong properties. On the other hand, scrapped plastic pottles cause environmental problems.
Therefore, an urgent countermeasure has been required.
Under the circumstances such as mentioned above, it is really unfavorable to use a large amount of plastic-made bottles of the processing chemicals for photographic use, though the photographic use is merely a part of the whole consumption of the plastics.
In recent years, rapid processing services have been in great demand, and the photographic processing operations are being transferred from mini-labs to the so-called micro-labs (or a smaller-scaled mini-lab.). In the conventional labs., an operator who has handled a processing chemicals there, has had a knowledge of processing chemicals. However, with the transfer of the photographic processing thereto, for example, a smaller-scaled lab is introduced into a convenience store or a drug store, the operations thereof are to be carried out by one without having any knowledge of processing chemicals. Therefore it becomes important to prevent harms to a human body caused by scatter or flying of the chemicals during preparation and handing of processing solutions. Furthermore, it is required to provide processing chemicals which can be prepared to a processing solution without any erroneous dissolution operation if the operation is carried out by unskilled one.
Accordingly, Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as JP OPI Publication) Nos. 2-109042/1990, 2-109043/1990 and 3-39735/1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,843,484, for example, propose each such a technique that photographic processing chemicals are made in a solid form.
In addition, a technology to solidify a photographic processing composition and to directly charge the photographic processing composition to the automatic processing machine in accordance with an amount of the light-sensitive materials processed is disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 119454/1993. Owing to this technology, it is not necessary for an operator to contact the photographic processing composition directly. Therefore, safety and simplicity in terms of replenishment are improved.
In the case of a stabilizer, a hydrocarbon type nonionic surfactant is ordinarily used for improving surface wettability and preventing water-spot-caused unevenness and stain on the rear surface. This is known in U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,004 and Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 197540/1982 and 36560/1980. However, in these hydrocarbon type nonionic surfactants, melting points are low so that liquid types are ordinarily used. When they are used in a solid processing composition as in the present invention, the solid processing composition is deformed due to storage. Accordingly, the hydrocarbon type nonionic surfactants have been completely unsuitable material for practical use.
As results of further experiments, it has come to be apparent that, in the case that solid or paste hydrocarbon type nonionic surfactants and other hydrocarbon type surfactants are used, the solid processing composition is swollen after aging when stored at high temperature. Increasing in the porosity of the solid stabilizer composition by the swelling accelerates decomposition of components in the composition. In addition, in the case of powder and granule, blocking is caused so that the processing composition cannot be supplied to the processing tank constantly. In the case of a tablet composition, stiffness of tablet composition is lowered so that it cannot bear the shock of dropping. As a result, the tablet composition is broken, causing defective charging.
Therefore, it has been demanded to develop a solid stabilizing composition excellent in terms of preservability without causing water-drop-caused unevenness and stain on the rear surface.
Incidentally, the stabilizing processing solution has the following problem in addition to the above-mentioned problems of a solid processing composition. These hydrocarbon type. nonionic surfactants are highly dependent to temperature. When a stabilizer wherein aforesaid surfactant is used is processed continuously, there may occur cases wherein oil-like floating substances are produced. It turned out that, even when this oil is contained in a small amount, the occurrence of tar is accelerated and scratches due to the floating substances are caused.
When the processing is continued furthermore, a large amount of oil-like floating substances deteriorate the surface wettability of the stabilizing solution so that water-spot-caused unevenness and stain on the rear surface are increased.
From the results obtained through various studies, the present inventors have discovered that some of the anionic type surfactants can satisfy the above-mentioned characteristics having so far been demanded; and when a further study was continued by the inventors, the following facts were proved. Ordinary anionic type surfactants have a strong interaction with calcium ion and magnesium each contained in a dissolving water or dissolved out of a light-sensitive material, so that a light-sensitive material is contaminated by producing a precipitate under some condition, or that a trouble is produced by partly clogging a filter of an automatic processor.
As the results that the present inventors have performed a further detailed study, they discovered that, among the anionic type surfactants, those fluoro-substituted can satisfy the above-mentioned characteristics and can also display the above-mentioned effects excellently.
It was also proved that, when applying a fluorine type anionic surfactant of the invention to a solid stabilizer composition, the effect of displaying the preservability of a solid stabilizer composition can be displayed in the course of preservation.